Meet Our Staff

Michael Lin

Owner

Growing up as a young boy in Yilan, Taiwan, Michael Lin ran the halls of his family’s hospital unaware of his destiny to become a doctor, following the three generations of male doctors who proceeded him. But after receiving high marks for the MCAT and graduating from the University of Santa Barbara with a B.S. degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 1996—he announced a plan other than medical school. “In the health field, I wanted to focus on prevention and promoting longevity rather than intervention,” says Lin. That same year, he became a certified personal trainer.

In 2000, Michael successfully embarked on his own personal training company. VERVE has experienced booming success as a boutique fitness company, bringing private/group fitness services to individuals and corporations. “Throughout this growth, our commitment to the highest quality service and personal training has never wavered,” Lin says.

Michael believes and lives the prophesy that proper fitness and a healthy mindset are the keys to a happier and fuller life. A consummate athlete, he fully embraces what he preaches, and enjoys playing tennis, golfing, surfing, snowboarding, and competing in triathlon races. He has competed in CrossFit Games Open annually with a best finish of 128th out of over 12,000 athletes worldwide in his age group division in 2014. He's also a SuperFit Competition (December 2014) Top 3 Finisher!

Michael Lin

Owner

Matt O'Connor

Head Trainer

As one of the most experienced trainers at VERVE, Matt O'Connor also has a rich history of multi-disciplinary sports and athletics. He's always been a natural athlete, playing competitive varsity basketball, baseball, track and soccer during his high school years. From these sports, Matt's passion and performance in soccer rose to the top when he was voted to the Washington Post’s division one All-Metropolitan soccer team. He joined a select 11 other nominees from Maryland, the District, and Virginia to be honored with photographs in the paper, fancy award dinners, and recognition for his dedication to the sport.

Soccer kicked other opportunities to Matt's way including a spot on Virginia’s regional state team for Olympic Development and an athletic scholarship to attend Virginia Commonwealth University. There, he played division one soccer and his team ranked as high as number two in the nation; never falling below a top 10 seed. Thereafter, Matt also tested the waters of playing semi-pro soccer.

Like so many post-college graduates, Matt was unsure of his path after school. He began working at VERVE part-time, and over the course of a year made note of how personal training greatly benefited not only the clients but also the trainers; he observed that these trainers really cared about their clients! Matt's interest was peaked, and he thought perhaps this is a career that would work with his background in sports and enthusiasm to embark on something new. Thus, Matt began the VERVE training process with the best of the best.

Despite his hectic schedule at VERVE, Matt still manages to play the sports he loves; soccer and basketball, in recreational leagues all over the DC-metro area. If he doesn't see you at VERVE, perhaps he'll spot you on the turf or courts.

Matt O'Connor

Head Trainer

Chris Maski

Senior Trainer

Chris Maski, has been involved with athletics for most of his life. In grade school he played baseball, soccer, and basketball, moving on to lacrosse and wrestling at the ages of 12 and 13. During middle-school, he picked up skiing and snowboarding. Rugby, rock climbing and martial arts were added to the list during college.

Regardless of which sport he was involved with, he always strove to better his performance with strength and conditioning activities. This drive would lead to countless hours of research on the topics of athletic performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation. After receiving a Bachelor's degree from Green Mountain College, his research would culminate with a certificate from the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Personal Trainer.

While holding both managerial and personal trainer positions, he continuously trumpets the ideal that, “there is always something that you can do.” Having dealt with major injuries himself (two knee surgeries and one hip surgery), it has aided him in the ability to work with a very wide variety of clients. They range from: active military, ex-military, youth, elderly, pre/post surgery (cardiac and sports medicine), post pregnancy, athletes (varying from hockey players and rowers to long distance runners), mentally and physically disabled, clinically obese and the general weekend warrior population. Even with such a diverse pool of clientele, there is one theme that runs throughout – those who truly wish to succeed keep coming back!

<strong>Proud Accomplishment:</strong> Coming back from the last surgery (hip) to succeed in his goal of a 500 lbs. deadlift.

Chris Maski

Senior Trainer

Matthew Lightfoot

Personal Trainer

Health and Fitness has always been an important part of life for Matt Lightfoot. His active lifestyle even as a kid growing up in Alexandria, VA, made it apparent to his friends from a young age that he would someday work in the fitness industry. In high school, he played for Bishop O’Connell’s nationally ranked basketball team and also ran track and field where he specialized in the high jump.

After high school, Matt went on to study English at the University of Virginia. He wishes this entire bio could simply read “Wahoowa.” His experiences at the university helped shape his positive outlook on life and further cultivated his desire to improve the lives of others.

After working as a Congressional Liaison for the International Code Council and then for the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, Matt found his way back to his calling of personal training. This calling was realized after visiting Verve Health and Fitness for the first time in 2009. He says he witnessed Verve’s level of commitment to health and wellness, a profound knowledge of the human body exhibited by the trainers, upbeat personalities of staff and members alike, and it convinced him once and for all to become a personal trainer. He received his certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the results he delivers to clients speaks volumes about his dedication to the craft.

He also is a USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach, CF-L1 trainer at CrossFit Rosslyn, and spent two years as a part time strength coach for Georgetown University.

Matthew Lightfoot

Personal Trainer

Christina Popescu

Yoga Instructor

Christina Popescu is an E-RYT 200 (experienced registered yoga teacher) with Yoga Alliance and is certified in mat Pilates through Power Pilates of New York. After graduating from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (2001), she returned to her hometown of Cherry Hill, NJ to work with children with autism and other developmental disabilities. She often found stress release at the gym where she took her first yoga and mat Pilates classes. Christina relocated to the DC area in 2002 and found work at a healthcare-focused professional membership association. On a whim, she enrolled in a yoga teacher training program at DC Yoga in 2007 and earned her mat Pilates certification a year later. After a 10 year career in the association and non-profit sector, she decided to take her love of teaching yoga and Pilates full time.

Off the mat, Christina is an avid runner. Never an athletic child, she was often one of the last students picked for a team in gym class during grade school. After seeing her father and other family members deal with the daily maintenance of diabetes self-care, she began running in her late teens to help get in shape, build self-confidence, and most importantly, start a healthy lifestyle.

When not at Verve, Christina is a Senior Instructor at Yoga District yoga studio in DC and is also a part-time faculty member at George Washington University Department of Exercise Science.

Christina Popescu

Yoga Instructor

Anson Paul

Personal Trainer

&lt;div&gt;Anson comes to the Verve/CrossFit Rosslyn family with great experience in exercise and training. Anson’s accomplishments include certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), experience in exercise programming for sport-specific strength and conditioning, and organizing exercise programs for and giving back to our youth. Anson has assisted clients in achieving, and even exceeding, their fitness and wellness goals through effective programs and motivation. Anson believes in a holistic approach to health and wellness by targeting cardiovascular and strength training on a regular basis, while coaching on healthy choices in nutrition. Believing in continuous improvement, Anson continues his education and hones his skills with coursework through the Montgomery County Community College and the National Academy of Sports Medicine.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;div dir="ltr"&gt;"I prefer multidimensional and constantly varied performance training programs such as CrossFit for my workouts. The at times unpredictable nature of the training regimen forces me to work on my weaknesses and prepare for the unknown. I find that this mentality often transfers to other areas of my life. "- &lt;em&gt;Anson&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Anson Paul

Personal Trainer

Victor Nguyen

Personal Trainer

I grew up in the Rockville, MD area always playing sports as a child. In high school, I played football my junior and senior year. I also joined the Navy Junior ROTC program and decided to follow that route into college. I was accepted into Penn State to study Kinesiology and enrolled into Army ROTC, where I would eventually receive a 3-year scholarship after attending basic training during the summer between my freshman and sophomore year. I continued to be passionate about Kinesiology and pursued a career in personal training, as well as training athletes. Following my junior year, I earned my Certified Personal Trainer certification through the American College of Sports Medicine.

I started doing CrossFit my senior year through an internship. It also led me to start teaching as well. Upon graduation, I was offered a position to coach full time as well as personal train, so I pursued my CF L1 certification. While coaching at the gym, I continued to further my education and later earned my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification- which helped me earn an internship with Penn State Strength and Conditioning. I worked with several teams, including: field hockey, rugby, swim and dive, softball, baseball, and men's soccer. This experience broadened my knowledge of the field and helped develop my coaching as well.

Victor Nguyen

Personal Trainer

Jacqueline O'Neill

Personal Trainer

Jacqueline O'Neill

Personal Trainer

Chantae' Polite

Yoga Instructor

Chantae' Polite moved from her hometown of Tampa, Florida in 2013 to attend graduate school in DC. She fell in love with the district and the people and decided to build a community here. Chantae’ completed her training at Yoga District’s Registered Yoga Teacher Intensive training in Outer Banks, North Carolina. Chantae' has worked with children and teens for over five years through different mentorship, outreach, and art therapy programs. She uses compassion and playfulness to help others build awareness and self-confidence. Chantae' has studied the yoga styles of Vinyasa Flow, Power Yoga, Dharma Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Chair Yoga, and breathing and meditation techniques. As a landlocked beach bum she fills her days practicing and teaching yoga, reading, paddle boarding, biking, and tinkering with her ukulele.

Chantae' Polite

Yoga Instructor

Shari Carlos

Yoga Instructor

As a former gymnast, dancer and cheerleader, Shari finds the best workouts to be the ones where she combines strength, grace and flexibility all while dripping in sweat. She discovered yoga in college which she incorporated into her fitness routine as a cheerleader. She began taking her yoga practice seriously in 2013 after experiencing several years of work-related stress, anxiety and other health issues. Yoga has taught her to incorporate balance, flexibility, and the focus on breath off the mat into her personal and professional life, and is passionate about sharing these skills with her students. Shari is 200-hr certified through the Yoga Alliance and is trained through Village Yoga in Merrifield, Virginia. She is a vinyasa practitioner with interests in acroyoga and power yoga. She has a Masters of Health Administration from George Mason University and a B.S. from James Madison University.

Shari Carlos

Yoga Instructor

Jaclyn Talon

As a yoga practitioner I found that over the years my practice has made me less anxious and more optimistic, especially when faced with difficulties in life. To me, yoga is an art form to express myself in addition with finding the support, community, inner strength, and most importantly upekkha or equanimity. In 2012 I completed my 200 hour teacher training program focusing on Ashtanga and Vinyasa. I have continued to grow as a teacher after my training through my travels to India along with attending workshops and retreats. Hope to see you on the mat!

Jaclyn Talon

Tim Cossey

Personal Trainer

Tim was born and raised in London, England before moving to the United States at the age of 15. He was always very active as a child and enjoyed competing in any sport that he could think of. His main sport that he loved and excelled at was Track & Field. While growing up with a love of sports and anything fitness, he wanted to continue that trend into his adulthood to help others reach their fitness goals. He has been teaching classes and training clients in the DC area since now since 2014.